43 Freezer Friendly Recipes + Tips for Freezer Cooking

43 Freezer Friendly Recipes

For my birthday I got a deep freezer. I know, very exciting! 😉 You can tell you are getting old when you get excited about something like that!

With baby #2 on the way I decided that I needed to stock my freezer with meals that are easy and healthy for the first couple of months of the babies life. When I had my son Will we got off track with our healthy eating and ended up ordering out a lot or eating quick meals that weren’t really that good for us. That was one of the reasons I started A Cedar Spoon—as a way to get back into cooking and make sure that I was preparing healthy meals for my family.

Stocking your freezer is really easy! Here are 5 tips when you are ready to get started:

1) Think about setting aside money to go to your local grocery store or a place like Costco to stock up on big bags of things like meat, frozen veggies, beans, canned tomatoes, broth, spices, ect. These types of ingredients are found in most recipes and buying in large quantities will be cheaper and prevent you from having to go to the store over and over again!

2) Choose your recipes that you will make ahead of time so you can prepare your grocery shopping list. Purchase or have on hand the containers and/or freezer ziplock bags that you will need. Glass Tupperware works great as well as mason jars (make sure you sterilize mason jars and seal them tightly). You can even freeze soups in ziplock bags and lay them flat to save room. Note: make sure you always cool your meals completely before freezing them. Sometimes I will even put the food in the refrigerator for one day to make sure. That prevents freezer burn or the meal loosing its taste.

3) Think about the timing of the recipes you are going to make ahead of time and what prep is involved. For example, maybe this Sunday you want to make Slow Cooker BBQ Pork, Ratatouille and this Moroccan Red Lentil Soup. First I would look at each recipes and see what ingredients are needed. I usually chop the vegetables I need and put them in bowls, set out the spices, broth, meat and any other ingredients to make the process easier. These three dishes would be great because you can throw the pork in the slow cooker, let the Moroccan Red Lentil Soup simmer on the stove while you make the ratatouille. Freezer cooking is all about planning ahead.

4) Think about doubling or tripling recipes so you have even more to freeze. This allows you to eat the food the week you make it and also store some away for the future. I always make a lot more pasta sauce then I need and freeze half.

5) Once you make your recipes let them cool completely and then put them in freezer friendly containers or bags. Always make sure to write on the bag or on a piece of tape what the recipe is, any additional cooking instructions and the date so you know how long the food will be good. Here are 43 Freezer Friendly Recipes to start you off. Stay tuned to more over the next few months!

Grilled Spicy Turkey Burgers (I suggest freezing these uncooked. Wrap each in plastic wrap individually and put in a freezer bag or use wax paper to separate each turkey burger and put in a freezer bag.}

Soups and stews are the easiest for me to double and freeze half for later. You’re doing all that chopping already, what’s a little more? I’m so glad you threw some desserts in there, too. We probably need to do more FREEZING instead of EATING desserts around here. 🙂Anna @ Garnish with Lemon recently posted..Crock Pot Banana Bread Oatmeal

I love freezing meats (like chicken dishes, taco meats) as well as breads/cookies! You can even put all ingredients into a freezer bag (meat, veggies, marinade) freeze it until you are ready to put it in the slow cooker!

2 years ago we got a second fridge/freezer for the garage – LIFE CHANGING. I barely remember life beforehand. Or maybe I blocked it from memory. Lol. Love this list!Amy Flanigan recently posted..Penne with Sausage and Mushroom Ragu

I always liked recipes which can be cooked really fast. They are saving a lot of time and energy, especially when you have a big family or your friends came unexpectedly. I always buy all the products according to the list because I know what dishes I am going to cook during the week!Maria G. recently posted..How to make an emollient cream for feet

Love this list! I’ve been freezing meals in anticipation of my own baby #2 (due this week!)…and plan to do a series on the blog of them after the baby’s born. Couldn’t get the link for the coconut cranberry granola bars to work…any thoughts?
Again! Thanks for all the recipe ideas!liz | carpé season recently posted..Kale & Fruit Salad with Orange-Ginger Dressing, Wild Rice, & Feta

Meet Julia

I'm Julia. Wife, mom to three growing boys, lover of food. Here you will find quick & easy weeknight meal ideas, kid-friendly recipes and a few sweet treats. My roots are from the Mediterranean and many of my recipes incorporate those flavors!

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I'm Julia. Wife, mom to three growing boys, lover of food. Here you will find quick & easy weeknight meal ideas, kid-friendly recipes and a few sweet treats. My roots are from the Mediterranean and many of my recipes incorporate those flavors! Read More…